


Fate Waits for No One

by hwadesal



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Not A Happy Ending, Other, Platonic Relationships, Seonghwa-Centric, but since they've picked the top30, even i got sad writing it, i decided to upload it here to share it, i have warned you, kinda seongjoong if you squint your eyes really hard, there is angst, this was my entry to the storyline contest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25202359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hwadesal/pseuds/hwadesal
Summary: You tried to save everyone; but who would save you?It is his first day of transferring to a new school, in a small town in a small island, away from the city, and within the small corners of their classroom, Seonghwa finds people – friends¬, he knows will be part of his life and for the first time, in Seonghwa’s young life, he thinks that moving away from the bustling city where he was born and where he grew up, wouldn’t be so bad.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	Fate Waits for No One

**Author's Note:**

> hi! as i mentioned in the tags, this was my entry to the storyline event kq held  
> since they've picked the top 30, i decided to upload it here to share it  
> follow me on twitter @/ennhwa  
> let's spazz about ateez

_You tried to save everyone; but who would save you?_

Seonghwa feels seven pairs of eyes on him, watching his every move. It is his first day transferring to a new school and because the school is in a small town, on a small island away from the city, there is only one room housing seven students – eight now, with his addition. He manages to stutter out his introduction, completely forgetting the introduction speech he and his mother had practiced the night before. He wants to slap himself – a 10-year old boy like him, stumbling with his words. He could feel the teacher lightly pat his back to comfort him, but all he wanted was to go home and cry. He could not bear the stares directed at him.

That is, until the stares become crescents and their thin lips all explode into welcoming smiles. Choruses of ‘welcomes’ and ‘let’s be friends’ soon ring in Seonghwa’s ears, and he feels the corner of his lips rise.

Seonghwa gets to know the boys in the course of the day. Hongjoong is the only other kid his age. He’s the only son of the school’s head and is the leader of their little group; a fact Seonghwa readily agrees to. Yunho is the tallest boy in their group and is the most energizing person the young Seonghwa ever met. It’s almost as if there is no way for him to run out of energy. Yeosang is, at first, quiet and aloof. Seonghwa almost feels as if he didn’t like him, but after a while, he learns that Yeosang is just a bit quiet but is not at all like Seonghwa’s first impression. He also learns that Yeosang has a really sharp tongue, and it’s only his first day. San, Seonghwa found a bit intimidating at first. The sharp-eyed boy, quietly eyeing Seonghwa during his introduction almost made him break into a sweat but the moment he brought out his smile, Seonghwa learns the boy is far from intimidating. The dimpled-boy radiates sunshine and happiness. Mingi is the second tallest boy in their little group. The boy is adorable, Seonghwa thinks to himself and he finds himself baby-ing Mingi, just like the rest of the boys. Wooyoung is the loudest of the group and is the last member of the same-aged friends consisting of Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi and Wooyoung. It’s only his first day and yet Seonghwa already finds himself the victim of Wooyoung’s good-natured pranks. It’s hard being angry at the boy for long though; he is very endearing. The youngest of their group is Jongho, who is two years younger than Seonghwa and Hongjoong. Although the youngest, Jongho seems very mature for his age, Seonghwa notices. He quietly cleans up after his older friends and listens intently in class. He does act like the youngest from time to time, and Seonghwa finds it adorable.

It is his first day of transferring to a new school, in a small town in a small island, away from the city, and within the small corners of their classroom, Seonghwa finds people – _friends_ , he knows will be part of his life and for the first time, in Seonghwa’s young life, he thinks that moving away from the bustling city where he was born and where he grew up, wouldn’t be so bad.

_“Do you believe that if one wishes for it hard enough, one can go back in time, Hongjoong?” Seonghwa asks Hongjoong one day as the two boys sit on the roof of their school building, watching as the sky gets covered by an orange hue. Hongjoong looks at Seonghwa, confusion etched on his young face. “My grandmother used to tell me a story, when she was still alive. She told me that if one prayed hard enough; wished for it hard enough, one can go back in time. That once the sand of a golden hourglass flow backwards, one can go back in time.” Seonghwa explains, staring far into the horizon._

_“That’s a pretty interesting story, but no. I don’t. It doesn’t make any sense,” Hongjoong says as he follows Seonghwa and looks far into the horizon. “Do you believe in it then, Seonghwa? Do you believe a human being is capable of going back in time?” Hongjoong turns to Seonghwa who answers but Hongjoong is unable to hear as the voices of their friends fill the air._

Hongjoong smiles as he hands Seonghwa something; the metallic object feeling cold against Seonghwa’s warm skin. “You can open your eyes now! Happy birthday!” Hongjoong greets him as he urges Seonghwa to open his eyes. Seonghwa does and looks down at his hands – a metal bracelet now sits on his hands. “We all pitched in to buy it for you!” Hongjoong chirps, the rest of the boys laughing behind him as they prepare the small picnic celebration they are having to celebrate Seonghwa’s 15th birthday.

The boys start eating the food they brought, all the while, laughing and playing jokes on each other. Wooyoung pranks Seonghwa with a fake insect, earning a small yelp from the older boy and laughs from the rest. They enjoy each other’s company as the sun slowly set and an orange glow starts covering their small, quiet village, viewable from the hill overlooking their village they jokingly call their ‘secret base.’

As they watch the sun slowly set and darkness slowly creep up to them, the boys start calming down. They sit in a line, watching their small village where nothing ever seems to happen slowly get engulfed by the orange glow the sunset brings. “Do you have any plans after high school?” Seonghwa asks the boys as he fondly plays with the bracelet they gave him earlier. The boys all laugh at him, teasing him for the seriousness of his question. “Hey! Don't laugh. You should really start thinking about it.”

The boys stop teasing him and fall into silence as they watch the lights from their village slowly turn on, one by one, signalling the end of yet another day in their quaint village. San is the first one to voice his thoughts. “I want to go to the city. Anywhere besides here, honestly,” he laughs. “The world is so big. I don’t want to spend my whole life stuck in this little village where even my breathing can be heard because of the silence.”

The boys all voice out their agreement, and they soon find themselves making plans for the future. They dream about how they’ll move out to the city as soon as they graduate. How they’ll live together and face the real world together. Seonghwa simply watches them, smiling to himself. It touches him, as he listens to them talk about their dreams, how they include him. “You came from the city, Seonghwa. Do you miss it?”

Seonghwa turns to Hongjoong, a certain expression of melancholy on his face. “Not really. I like it here. The quiet is soothing and I have you guys. I wouldn’t change it for anything,” Seonghwa laughs. The boys tease him for being cheesy and he knows he is, but it is exactly how he feels. He knows the thrills and excitement the city offers, but he also knows how one can easily fall into the temptations. It is how he lost her, after all, shortly after they moved to the island. She couldn’t adapt to their new environment and it ended up becoming the reason she and his father argue every day. One day, she just left. No letter. No goodbyes.

Hongjoong doesn’t laugh, however. He looks at Seonghwa, how his expression earlier showed wisdom beyond his years. He doesn’t like it. It makes Seonghwa seem different; seem _unlike_ them. Seonghwa notices Hongjoong staring at him and gives a soft smile and for now, it is enough. Hongjoong won’t push it any further. Not today.

And so Seonghwa silently prays to himself, to whoever God might be listening to him, for things to not change.

_But it seems, no God would listen to Seonghwa._

It starts with Mingi. They notice him starting to skip classes. It starts with a day, then two, until finally, he only comes to class when an exam or an important event is happening. Even when he does come to class, he’s always sleeping. They notice how, as the days pass, Mingi becomes visibly more tired; he develops bags under his eyes and his cheeks start sinking. He’s still the same Mingi, but they can notice how he’s gradually losing the spark that made him Mingi.

Seonghwa goes over to Mingi’s house one holiday and is greeted by his grandmother. “Hey, Seonghwa. What brings you here?” Mingi asks Seonghwa as he exits their house and greets his grandmother. “Grandma, go inside. It’s not good for you to be out here. I'll finish up.” Mingi says as he ushers his grandmother back inside their house.

“I’m here to ask you what’s up. You’ve been missing a lot of classes and it’s worrying. You seem really tired these past days too,” Seonghwa says as he takes a seat on the bench in front of Mingi’s house, the younger boy following shortly.

“Yeah, I will probably drop out of school soon. My father hurt his back and I need to help with the expenses. We have a lot of mouths to feed and as the eldest son, I have to do something,” Mingi explains, a sad smile gracing his tired features. “I guess I won't be coming with you to the city in the future.” A bitter laugh escapes from Mingi.

Seonghwa stares at Mingi who only gives him a smile, an attempt to assure Seonghwa that he is fine. Or maybe to assure himself. Seonghwa doesn’t know but he finds himself gripping the hem of his shirt tightly, his knuckles turning white, as he says goodbye to the boy. Seonghwa makes a silent promise to himself, as he walks home, to come over to Mingi’s house tomorrow to help out.

But he doesn’t because the next day, Mingi is gone. “He went to work in the city,” is the only explanation they get.

The sudden departure of Mingi shakes the boys to their core. Seonghwa feels a lump in his throat and dread in his stomach, but he swallows everything down and flashes a smile to his worried friends, explaining everything he and Mingi talked about the day prior. This appeases the boys, but Seonghwa sees; no one is okay.

The second change happens to Yeosang. At first, it’s barely noticeable but Seonghwa starts noticing how the spark slowly disappear from Yeosang’s eyes. He starts becoming withdrawn and would always be looking down. Seonghwa asks Yeosang, one day, what was wrong. “I don’t really know,” Yeosang lets out a bitter laugh as he hands Seonghwa a crumpled piece of paper Seonghwa looks at it; a rejection letter. “The adults told me to ignore it and that I should not have expected anything. How could someone like me compete with those from the city?” Yeosang laughs but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Seonghwa tries to hold Yeosang’s hand, but he’s long gone.

_“Have you ever felt like the moon is calling out to you, Hongjoong?” Seonghwa asks one night while the two boys are sitting on the hill overlooking their village, watching the moon and the stars shining in the clear sky. Hongjoong shakes his head. “I have. Sometimes, I feel like she’s calling out to me, y’know? Like, she’s pulling me towards her; telling me to come to her.” Seonghwa says as he lifts his hand to the moon, as if caressing it._

The third change happens to San and Wooyoung. The sudden departure of Mingi only solidifies San’s desire to leave their village. On the surface, nothing is wrong. They are all still hanging out with each other, laughing and playing jokes, but inside, Seonghwa feels the turmoil bubbling. He overhears the two boys whispering to each other, one evening, about their plans to get a ride out of their village. Wooyoung is reluctant, but San is persistent. Wooyoung knows it is his way out of his suffocating life, and the glitz and glamour of the city does call out to him, but what of their friends?

Seonghwa contemplates whether to stop them, but he decides not to. It is no longer his place to interfere; Seonghwa has long made peace with the fact. Instead, he goes out to their meeting place, and watches as San enters the vehicle, but Wooyoung doesn’t. Instead, he stays and simply stands there, watching, as the vehicle carrying San disappears into the darkness of the night. Seonghwa comes out of his hiding spot and walks towards Wooyoung and pats his shoulder. “I can’t leave you all alone,” was all Wooyoung says before leaving.

Seonghwa stands there for who knows how long. He can feel the ropes tying them all together loosen and it scares him. He looks at the bracelet the others gave him on his birthday. It feels like such a long time ago.

_“Do you remember when we had that conversation on my birthday, Yunho? About wanting to move out to the city with the others?” Seonghwa asks Yunho one day while they walk back home from school. Yunho nods, nostalgia etched on his face. “I really want it to come true. That’s why I’m secretly saving money from working for my father. I’m also looking for places we can move into that’s cheap.” Seonghwa says as he fondly plays with the bracelet they gave him for his birthday._

_Yunho smiles as he raises his hands up in the air. “I’ll help you! I’ll start saving too!” Yunho grins as he declares, puffing his chest out with pride. “I’ve never wanted something as badly as I want this to happen for all of us. I don’t want this dream we all share to remain a dream. I’ll help you make it a reality!” Yunho says as before stretching his arms and sprinting off into the sunset, Seonghwa laughing while running after him._

The last change happens when Seonghwa receives a letter addressed to him, one day, out of the blue.

Jongho watches as the close-knit group he cherishes slowly crumble in front of him, as if mocking him of his youth; of his powerlessness to do anything to reach out to his friends. Mingi and San are gone. Wooyoung doesn’t say anything about the reason why San left. Yeosang doesn’t open up to anyone anymore; not even to them. He's physically with them, but Jongho knows he isn’t. Hongjoong and Yunho can only look their friends with worry, unable to do anything. They try to reach out, to return things to how they were, but none of their efforts amount to any change. Seonghwa, Jongho notices, is the one who changed the most. No longer is he the glue that ties them all together. No longer is he the one they all gravitate to. All that’s left is a shadow of Seonghwa’s former self. All he does now is look into the horizon, as if the answers to the questions only he knows, are there.

Jongho feels hopeless. They have all helped him, why couldn’t he do the same when it mattered?

Yunho gets the fright of his life when he receives a message from Hongjoong, one late evening. Only a single word is written in the message, but it is enough to make him run through the streets at full speed, ignoring the looks people give him. He just runs. He grips his phone tighter, his knuckles turning white, as runs through the very familiar road. Yunho wonders to himself, how he could have been so useless.

_Seonghwa._

But Hongjoong and Yunho are too late and Seonghwa is now long gone, off to follow someone; _something_. All they see is a crumpled letter addressed to Seonghwa, telling him that he has failed; that he has wasted the chance he wished and prayed so hard for. The letter mocks him of his wasted efforts, how nothing he’ll do will ever spare him of the future that is already set in stone. How no matter how many chances he takes, a severed tie will never be joined together again.

_“If you were given the chance to go back and correct your so-called ‘mistakes,’ would you? If you are given the chance to change something, will you?”_

_“I will.”_

_“Even at the cost of losing yourself?”_

_“With no hesitation.”_

Hongjoong wakes up with a start, sweat covering his body. He looks at his shaking hands while trying to calm his ragged breathing. “A dream,” he says to himself but feels the blood drain from his face when he turns to the table beside him; an hourglass sits on top of the papers scattered on his table. He looks at the sand flowing from bottom up, as if gravity doesn’t affect it. He returns the hourglass to table and notices something shining beside it; a metal bracelet – Seonghwa’s gift from years ago. Hongjoong feels his face pale when a notification from Yunho catches his attention, looking for him.

A dreadful feeling settles itself in Hongjoong’s stomach as he makes his way towards the hill overlooking their village. He grips the hourglass and bracelet inside his bag tighter, as if holding it any tighter would make the dread go away. He nears the hill and sees six figures waiting for him. Six? Hongjoong widens his eyes as he sees his friends sitting on the ground together, chatting as if they never separated. He feels the corners of his mouth rise into a grin. Yunho waves his arm to make Hongjoong hurry up. “Sorry I’m late,” The boys stop chatting and turn to Hongjoong, wide smiles on their faces as they call him out for being late when he’s the eldest. Hongjoong looks around. “Where’s Seonghwa?”

The boys look at each other, confusion evident on their faces.

_“We don’t know a Seonghwa.”_

**Author's Note:**

> do leave comments, pretty please!  
> i'd love to see what people think of my writing.


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